Need an incentive to reduce your carbon footprint? Consider the implications of this study of some 900 St. Louis residents that discovered an association between long periods of driving and an increased risk of skin cancer.

Based on a review of medical data on all patients diagnosed with non-midline skin cancer at St. Louis University in 2004, some 53 percent had skin cancer on the left sides of their bodies or faces. What's more, out of the 557 men whose records were reviewed for the study, 300 had skin cancer on their left sides. Interestingly, women under age 51 were predisposed to skin cancers on the left side too, a number, researchers say, that's emblematic of the way our society has changed over the past quarter-century to two-car families and equal-opportunity driving.

One more finding worth noting: Malignant melanoma in situ, also called stage 0 melanoma, was found 75 percent of the time on the left side of the body.

Hopefully, science and the FDA will agree on safer sunscreen formulations very soon. Perhaps, a soybean oil-based alternative is in the mix…

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Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology March 12, 2010

DenverPost.com May 17, 2010

LiveScience May 7, 2010

Arguably, Al Gore's greatest contribution to America has been his commitment to bring awareness to the potential environmental threat of global warming.

Nearly three years later, are Americans any wiser right now about their carbon footprint (the amount of carbon dioxide produced by a business, organization or human being over a given time)? Most Americans still don't think much about footprints, other than the muddy ones they track through their homes.

This interesting article from OPEN Forum, however, explains how folks can have a greater impact on the environment -- more than owning a hybrid car or replacing incandescent light bulbs with energy-saving bulbs in their homes -- just by rethinking how and where they get their food as well as disposing of it through sustainable food systems.

But that's the huge quandary: How does America create the space, particularly in urban areas, for sustainable food production? Perhaps, the blueprints being formulated by one entrepreneur hoping to revitalize Detroit (considered the American poster child for shrinking postindustrial cities) to create the world's largest urban farm offer a possible solution.

While you're mulling over the idea of an apple orchard growing next to your home, determine your own carbon footprint with the help of this awesome calculator sponsored by The Nature Conservancy.

Assignment Detroit/CNNMoney.com December 29, 2009

OPEN Forum December 18, 2009